The Price of Liberty

Welcome to the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.

Tribal Chairman Harold Frazier is the two-term chairman of the Tribal Council which represents the four Lakota nations which today constitute the 22 communities of this entity in north central South Dakota. It is a poor land and people: the product of 7-9 generations of DC-enforced socialism on a grand scale. Where the surest method of being able to raise a functional and at least somewhat prosperous and educated family is to emigrate. Even to such places as the Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul, not Lead-Deadwood), Denver, or other pits.

Those “leaders” who are “successful” in tribal government are generally voracious parasites who feed off the taxpayers and future generations. Indirectly, of course – they feast off the welfare provided by DC to supposedly meet “treaty obligations.” They are often only corrupt tools of the FedGov bureaucracy, and when the Democrats are in power, of Congress and the White House. It is not a pretty picture, and one for which TPOL will no doubt be damned to perdition by those in Eagle Butte.

The Tribal Council is seen by many enrolled members and outsiders as a bunch of corrupt, elected tyrants who lord it over their own people – and anyone unwise enough to try to deal with them. Especially those non-Lakota who happen to live or work in CRST. The Tribe was one which locked down their entire nation (reservation) in 2020 because of the COVID-19 panic. This included blocking Federal and State highways with armed border stations, and denying people the right to travel. Tribal government is always eager to attack anyone they dislike – verbally, in print, or economically: not just the hated wasichu (white people).

So this latest vicious attack on State Government is motivated by many things. First is antipathy to any Republican in office. This is a legacy of history, right back to that monster, Honest Abe himself. He personally approved the execution of 38 Dakota men in 1862 after the Dakota defeat in a war against settlers and troops in Minnesota. (Actually, just 37 were actually Dakota, the 38th was a white man adopted into the tribe as a child.) Never mind that originally the juries had found 303 men guilty and sentenced them to death; Abe commuted the sentence of nearly 90% of them. It WAS a travesty of justice in many, many ways. But to blame 21st Century Republicans for Lincoln’s actions is irrational. (I know, nothing new about that.)

Second is the refusal of the State of South Dakota to give even more privileges and benefits to Lakota, Nakota, and Dakota people, and past efforts (NOT just under Republican administrations) to de-establish and hinder tribal government and actions.

Third is the fact that for at least the last five generations, most Lakota have been taught to hate anyone who has ANY Western European ancestry unless they also have enough Lakota or other AmerInd ancestry to qualify for enrollment. Even in tribes like the Cheyenne River, where many of the tribal members have at least SOME whitewash in their ancestry. (As does Mr. Frazier himself, based on his name, not his physical characteristics. Frazier, sometimes spelled Fraser, is a Scots family name, first immigrating to the States in the last half of the 19th Century.) There are a large number of CRST members who not only have German family names, but are blue-eyed and blonde – NOT common among truly pure-blood Lakota.

Frazier has been tribal chairman for eight years, so far. His apparent hatred of non-Lakota, especially wasichu has been pretty obvious for all that time.

This latest is an example. On 5 April, Governor Kristy Noem of South Dakota issued an executive order prohibiting state-funded schools from teaching “Critical Race Theory.” The Executive Order which so disturbs Mr. Frazier can be found at this link. Read it for yourself, and then consider what Mr. Frazier recently published: For sake of clarity TPOL reproduces the entire statement:

EAGLE BUTTE, South Dakota — On April 5, 2022, the Governor of the state of South Dakota has made it clear that the United States is not responsible for any of its actions. In true dictator fashion she is forbidding the educators of our children to hear, speak or discuss critical issues that would enable our future generations to solve the problems in which we have failed.

I condemn the recent executive order issued by the Governor of South Dakota for all the polished ugliness that it represents. I can go on being critical of the statement but I would like to tell you what it means for us. The style of leadership which dictates thought and restricts educators from encouraging critical thinking is not the leadership my people deserve.

This executive order [PDF] is divisive and contributes to the very political indoctrination that it professes to prevent. Under the cover of great virtue, the Governor is promoting a great evil by dictating the thoughts of our teachers and children.

This may earn her the title of champion to those who believe that the people are not responsible for their nation but as we have seen on the other side of the world when the people can claim ignorance of their governments actions, the government can attack other countries and commit atrocities. We must be critical of our leadership and own our governments as that is the everyday work of democracy.

Any law or order meant to restrict our freedom to teach and learn is a restriction on freedom.

This executive order tells every minority in the state of South Dakota that you do not care what you have done, what you are doing or what you will continue to do.

The truth must be taught and told.

Hecetu elo. [It is a very good day.]

Yes, Mr. Frazier, the truth must be taught and told. Including the truth about what you just published. I am probably as little a fan of Ms. Noem (or ANY GOP politician) as Mr. Frazier is, but I base my dislike of her on reality, and not a warped view of what she wrote. As with the recent vicious attacks on the Florida State government in their own version of “do not advocate hatred and bias” (aimed towards advocates and activists of homosexuality – and sexuality in general – to pre-school and grade-school children), his words twist what she actually wrote. And he then accuses her of doing exactly what HE has done.

That is what passes for politics and “civic discourse” even in South Dakota, much less the rest of these States, in 2022.